A natural bog can take hundreds sometimes thousands of years to form. In fact, if there are already plants growing there, and doing well, as you say, you have already made a good start. Sphagnum moss makes an ideal substrate in which to grow some of the showy and more difficult bog and swamp plants, especially carnivorous. Greensboro arboretum greensboro beautiful bog garden. Work with a professional editor at the editor garden to. Creating a bog garden is the perfect use for a redundant or leaky pond, but it can also be an informal edge to an existing pond or a way of cultivating a naturally. One pronative garden writer describes what he calls the kudzu. A bog garden is an area of permanently moist but not waterlogged soil. Have a go with bog plants, but choose the right ones in the first place. Bog gardens provide a range of attractive planting opportunities and are an excellent wildlife habitat. P2 bod update p4 native habitat p6 chlorofiends greensboro beautip8 scholarships p11 rescues. Some fabulous plants will only grow in soil that is permanently moist, and even if you dont have a boggy area in your garden, its quite easy to create one.
How bog gardens work howstuffworks home and garden. If you have a soggy plot of land that lies in the sun or shade, you can turn it into a bog garden featuring a. Using decomposed plant matter, peat, fibrous plant material, and soil, fill the bog garden in. A bog garden employs permanently moist but not waterlogged soil to create a habitat for plants and creatures which thrive in such conditions. I love turtleheads, sedges, skunk cabbage and iris, plants of low woods and. Yes you can create a bog garden in a dry area, even if your garden is on well drained sandy soil or clay that is wet in winter, but dries out and cracks up in summer, you can construct a bog area in a dry garden by f ollowing these simple construction tips.
Editor of the garden, chris young letter from the editor rhs tim sandall you may think that the class system is extinct, but in the plant world it is. Start small if youre new to bog gardens, or use an existing boggy area. Tossing some moistureloving bulbs into a soggy area of your yard does not constitute a proper bog garden. Learn how to create a bog garden in containers with this gardening tutorial. The garden s address is1101 hobbs road, greensboro, nc 27410. There are some lovely plants for growing in damp, boggy conditions, but if your soil is well drained and dries out quickly these bog. The bog garden has a nice boardwalk and paths and the chance to see shore birds at the small pond. Bog gardens or marshes are usually built near to a pond so they stay continuously moist.
Create an extended habitat for wildlife to keep them protected. I am the newsletter editor for the idaho water garden and koi society. Many bog garden plants must have wet feet at all times, others only. Garden style choice, bog gardens are so easy to create in an area that is constantly wet. Providing the soil in your bog garden does not dry out for longer than say a month. The bog garden at benjamin park greensboro 2020 all. Instead of draining, make the waterlogged or boggy bits of garden work for nature, and provide a valuable habitat. You may even consider making one of the tubs a bog garden see below.
Create a wildlife bog garden bbc gardeners world magazine. Bog gardening, flowers plants your backyard garden. Book now at 32 restaurants near the bog garden on opentable. A small bog garden can allow you to grow a range of interesting plants that enjoy being waterlogged and in the constant presence of water. How to plant an area with moist plants or muddy bog plants. Bog gardens work best when theyre developed with a plan in mind. The sound of bog garden may seem a little offputting at first, but once assimilated, your home landscape will have a unique feature. Plant moist plants or muddy bog plants in your bog garden. Plantlife international the wild plant conservation charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee. If this is a project that seems up your street, here are some quick pointers on creating a bog garden on your plot. We constructed the bog garden in 199899 by digging an irregular shallow pond about 10 feet wide by 45 feet long by 18 inches deep, and we lined this with a thick rubber pond liner. The bog garden is a nature preserve, botanical garden, and city park located at 1101 hobbs road, greensboro, north carolina. There are plenty of detailed tutorials online, so feel free to brush up on some extra research. Choose either moist plants or wet muddy plants in your prepared bog garden area.
It can be an ideal solution for the corner of the garden thats always. How to create a bog garden mnn mother nature network. You may not have the space to create a large bog garden in your backyard, or you may not be up to the full preparation and maintenance of one. Society grant benefits bog native plant news julie higgie, editor inside. If you cut the bog space out of the lawn, place the pieces of turf back into the bog, facing upside down. It may exploit existing poor drainage in the garden, or it may. Were setting a new standard in the editing industry with our fourstage flourish. Newsletter cpn issue reprints instructions to authors contact the cpn editors. Most folks dont live near these areas, so a bog garden is a way of replicating this unique environment through the use of excavation and irrigation in your own backyard. If you dont want a pond or dont have room for one, a bog garden is a great alternative. Chris relates his experiences with a back yard bog in the vancouver, british columbia, canada, area. Spring is the best time to start a bog garden, so that the plants have plenty of time to establish once the soil warms up.
The brothers also forked rich muck from the bog onto the shore, building soil with organic. Join us and learn how to plan your special garden, start seeds and plant, and nurture your garden with our articles. I was hoping to use some of your information from your bog and koi pond article in my publication. Here at nelson water gardens we are so sold on bog gravel filtration that we will not build a pond without one, and for one solid reason. Theres an informative display at the entrance about the work to replace nonnative invasive plants like. John chandler, friends and patrons of the bog garden contributed funds to commission a bronze statue, in the likeness of dr.
Bog garden plants and design info what is a bog garden. Impossible, that is, until i thought of creating an artificial bog garden. Grow carnivorous plants in a diy minibog by will lenihan june 22, 2016 if you were asked to imagine a landscape inhabited by carnivorous plants, you might envision some primeval. How to create a bog garden in a container wonderhowto.
Start small if youre new to bog gardens, or use an. Build a bog garden or stream edge to the pond or moving water area. A bog garden is a great way to utilize the natural features of your landscape and a much more viable alternative to regrading and draining the area. Many flowers require welldrained soil, yet, there are plenty of varieties that thrive in very wet conditions. Creating a bog garden is the perfect use for a redundant or leaky pond, but it can also be an informal edge to an existing pond or a way of cultivating a naturally waterlogged dip in your garden. Bog garden design and plants no water garden is complete without a bog garden as some of the most beautiful and interesting plants thrive in such situations. Given the right conditions, most moisture loving perennials grown in the border will thrive with their feet in soggy soil. How to make a bog garden written by susan patterson on mar 24, 2014. Icps members grow their plants everywhere from natural bogs in their back yards to a dish in a window sill. They dont call back because, with fewer pieces of equipment needed, there is less chance for breakdown. Water features and bog gardens garden advice the rspb. A committed gardener, on the other hand, can create a truly stunning bog garden with only a month or so of careful planning and.
Why build a bog garden around your pond for wet or damp soil. Its surprisingly easy to make and will soon become a valuable habitat for a wide range of moistureloving wildlife. As long as you have an area that gets at least five hours of direct sun a day, you can create your own bog garden. Creating and maintaining bog gardens green up with ogg. Because of their small size, containers should be sheltered from prevailing winds, and away. Tips and advice meanwhile back in the natural garden, how about planting a bog garden. Bog garden plants love overly moist soil, which is waterlogged, but not standing. Not to be confused with moisture loving plants that like free draining soil, most of the plants listed in this category are marginal and will grow quite happily in. He is the editor of several bbg handbooks, most recently native alternative. The aim of this learning project is to develop a 3d terrain editor and especially a garden one with a real time viewer. The concept of bog gardening arose several years ago as a spinoff of the popular trend of water gardening and ponds. Unlike many main pond waterfalls, you dont need a lot of flow through your bog garden.
The big difference between a pond and a bog garden is a pond contains standing water while a bog. How to grow a beautiful bog garden boggy areas have huge possibilities they are great for wildlife and certain plants thrive. Building a sphagnum bog garden by roberta and fred case. A pond is not an essential feature of the bog garden, although its presence is to be desired when you can use the overflow to feed a marsh. The editor garden is a fullservice collaborative agency providing professional writing, editing, and coaching services. Create your own bog garden managing your garden pond to protect scotlands wildlife. Bog gardens exist in nature in lowlying areas, or around ponds, lakes or streams. Depending upon the size of the bog area, pumps ranging from 500gph to 1500gph seem ideal.
Society grant benefits bog t extension master gardener. Plantlife scotland,balallan house, allan park,stirling,fk8 2qg tel. Colston burrell june 1, 1997 few gardeners are lucky enough to possess a moist spot, much less a true bog. It may be that you can exploit existing poor drainage in your garden, or you can artificially create the.